I want a Shark - This
is a very common remark. So we try. However anytime you target a fish instead
of going after what's around and biting you run the risk of having a weak
catching day. One day we had a group with two children and they wanted
a Shark. Normally an easy task, it wasn't that day. We spent the first
4 hours of the day trying for one shark and struck out while everybody
around us were catching kings, sail fish, dorado and wahoo. Kids finally
fell asleep in the cabin and the adults then had a pretty good catch for
what remained of the day.

What kind of shoes are ok?
- Flip flops, bboat deck shoes, tennis shoes
with white soles. Or just come barefoot. Anything like a work boot or dark
soled shoes are not allowed. The decks are all painted serfaces and don't
like black marks ar rough soled shoes.

What kind of bait do you use?
A
lot depends on what we are fishing for. We have an on-board freezer and
keep a variaty of bait and chum for bottom fishing, drifting, chumming
for tuna. We also keep a supply of ribbonfish and ballyhoo for bait trolling.
As well we carry a very large selection of artificial lures. We try to
carry enough variaty in order to be prepared for what ever opportunities
present themselves.

What kind of equipment will
I be using?On
billfish trips we use 5 Penn International 80's and two 50's. On other
trips we use level wind 320's and Penn Senators. We also carry light spinning
reels.

Do you have a fighting chair?
We have a heavy duty Murry Bros fighting chair for billfish trips. Other
types of fishing we remove it for more fishing room in the transom area
and use fighting belts.

Do i need a fishing license?As
a general rule you will be fishing in federal waters and don't need a state
fishing license.

How about children?
There is nothing like watching the eyes light up on a youngster when they
get a fighting kingfish or thier first shark. 8 to 11 year olds seem to
enjoy it the most.

Do you charge less for children?
- No. Children actually take a lot more atteention than adults. They have
to be watched constantly. There are a lot of sharp objects on a boat, and
they tend to move around a lot and we don't want to loose one overboard.

Do people get sea sick often?
-
Most don't. A little caution goes a long way. Don't hit the bars the evening
before! Eat a light dinner, not mexican or anything real spicy, get to
bed early, eat something in the morning, stay away from the coffee and
you will probably be fine. I find people who do the above and take Draminine
never seem to have a problem.

Can I bring my bring own equipment?-
Of coarse. The boat is yours for the day and we are here to serve you.
But I tend to discourage it. It's really pretty simple. Snap goes the outrigger,
there is a pause while everyone tries to pick up on which line just went
off. Then who grabs it. It's a big one, then the line snaps or knot comes
apart. And there goes one of my good lures. Or there goes one of your nice
lures on that 100 lb Wahoo. It's hard to take the responsibility for the
trip when using a mixture of equipment where we are familar with some and
not others. Hate to loose that special one when you may only get one shot
a day. On the other hand I had a customer in July that brought his 80lb
Penn Gold on board and got a good sized Blue Marlin on it. Certainly added
to his enjoyment and sense of satisfaction on his first Blue. Net net is
you have to accept the responsibility for the day if you bring your own
equipment.

Is there shade on the boat?-
The Wahooooo,com does not have shade on the transom but does have a large
airconditioned cabin. The flybridge does have all shade and usually the
best breeze. Movies are free.

Can I bring a cooler?
- Yes. Or two, or three. Bring your owwn for drinks and food. We have
plenty of ice and storage for your catch.

Credit cards/ Payment method?
- This is a good question. I don't take creddit cards but have been considering
it. Before getting into this business I used to charter around the world
chasing billfish. I don't remember ever having a facility take credit cards
without some kind of surcharge. I think it's just that the margins are
so thin you just can't afford it.

Fish cleaning & storage?
-
I usually pick up and drop off at Fisherman's Wharf where they have a good
fish cleaning and storage facility. We are not allowed to do it at the
docks. There is a facility for public use down where the boat ramps are
near the ferry. For us to clean you fish we would have to transport the
catch down to the facility somehow and then return. Just to time consuming.
I believe Fisherman's Wharf charges about $.34 a pound.

Split charters?
- This question comes up more ofter than youu would think. It's done a lot
in vacation spots like Mexice, Jamaca, etc. where the hotels book people
at an individual rate and somehow the boat ends up full. Say $80 to go
fisjhing, but you will be joined by up to seven other strangers on the
charter. That's generally not done down here. Let's say I book six different
people for an all day long charter for say $150 each. And four don't show
up, who pays. If I ask the two left to make up the full charter price they
will be pretty unhappy. To make this work I would have to ask everyone
to pay the full amount up front. Not a problem if it's a bunch af people
vacationing and are in town allready, but that is not usually the case
down here.

How much time do we spend
fishing vrs running? - This question comes
up mostly from people who have had some trips on party boats where they
run a long distance, stop and drop lines for awhile, and move from here
to there. When you are on a private charter you are in effect fishing from
the time you leave the jetties. Depending on what has been biting where
for the previous days your Capt probably has some idea of where he's heading
on your charter, however that days weather, seas, birds flying around,
bait jumping, etc. you are in effect fishing from the time you break the
jetties. I may stop the first time after 15 minutes or it could be three
hours. When on a private charter you are on the hunt all the time. In less
the charter is for bottom fishing only then you generally know where they
are.

What about tipping?
-Tipping is traditional in the private chartter business and tends to make
the day a profitable one or not for your crew. The incentive makes them
work harder. Guide lines are along the lines of resturants. 10% if the
trip was ok. 15% if the trip was really good and 20% if your crew busted
thier buts and got you that Blue Marlin or 100 lb Yellowfin. If you are
just plain unhappy let us know by not tiping. Tip are based on precieved
effort not on the catch. There are days the fish just don't bite.

Who do I tip?-
On my boat either the Capt or Mate. We split all tips down the middle.
Some boats the Capt will keep it all or the mate/deck hand is paid very
low and in that case you need to tip the deck hand. If in question ask.

Can I make suggestions?
- You bet. It's your money and it is a privaate charter. Don't be bashful
to speak up if you want to try something different, or see some birds off
in the distance, or whatever. We don't know everything and always welcome
ideas.

Who grabs the rod when we
get a strike? - I like to come to an understanding
on the way out. I like customers who want to get involved in the process
from setting the hook to gaffing the fish. I always wanted to get more
involved in the whole process when I used to charter but never did. I love
to teach people how to fish. On the down side the other day I had a group
who wanted to really get involved and we probably hooked 30 yellow and
blackfin tuna. We only got 6 on to the boat. On the way in the customer
commented that "We had a great time but I wish we would have caught more
fish". We did, they just lost 24 of em through mostly the learning experience.
How soon they forgrt sometimes.

How many lines in the water?
- Depends. When trolling we usually have 5-77 lines in the water. If drifting
or bottom fishing we usually have two long lines drifting and three to
four close to the boat. The only limit is tangle avoidence.